


Quarantine

by OhDearLoki



Category: Real Person Fiction
Genre: Coronavirus, F/M, Illness, Quarantine, Separation, epidemic, fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:06:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26634073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhDearLoki/pseuds/OhDearLoki
Summary: You’re stuck in France during quarantine and after a fight, Tom can’t reach you on the phone, he’s worried.
Relationships: Tom Hiddleston/Reader
Kudos: 32





	Quarantine

You had heard the news like everyone else on the TV. And although you were a little confused, you didn’t feel concerned at the time. No one was. Until this virus spread faster than expected, crossing borders without any respite, affecting billions of people. But then again, it wasn’t quite real and you didn’t feel concerned yet. Until the day everything was turned upside down.

“Tom?” You declare, worried, as you had your phone against your ear and you watched the French news.

They had just announced it, officially, just now. France had just proclaimed general quarantine. And at that moment, you realised that the threat was very real and that it had just crossed the country’s threshold. Why did you have to accept this business trip to France? You grumbled… 

“Y/N? What’s up?” Tom asked on the other end of the phone, worried when he heard your voice. 

“I’m not going to be able to go home…”

Last week you agreed to go to France on a business trip. It was an opportunity to relaunch your company which had been in a bit of a slump lately. Tom couldn’t go with you because he was interviewing for a new film in England.

"What? Why?” he asked, surprised and worried. 

“France is confined. I can’t leave the territory.”

He didn’t answer immediately, but you could easily imagine him running his hand through his hair, worried. You knew him by heart and his silence sometimes spoke louder than his words. 

"Tom?” You asked when he remained silent a little too long. 

“Yes… I…” He hesitated. “Do you know how long it will last?”

“No… But the number of victims is increasing day by day… I might be stuck here for a long time.” 

“Be careful, my love.”

You smiled at his nickname. His English accent made you melt every time. You were just as worried as he was, this disease had never really caught your attention because England was not yet affected. But now everything seemed much more real to you and you were starting to get scared. 

"I’m going to miss you.” Tom continued. 

“I’m going to miss you too.”

And not a single day went by without you thinking about him. But after a week, the distance was too great, you needed him near you, you needed to see him, to hear him. One evening when you got home, you settled into bed, huddled in your blankets and dialled his number. You were relieved when he answered after two rings.

"Hello, my love.” He said as he picked up the phone.

At the sound of his voice, you closed your eyes and tried to hold back your tears, in vain. Tom worried about your silence. 

“Y/N?” 

“Yes, I’m here.” You whispered between your tears. 

“Is something wrong?” 

“I miss you so much.” 

And you cracked. You started crying on the phone. You’d been alone in that hotel room for a week. You didn’t know anyone and you couldn’t go out anymore. You missed your husband and your friends. You couldn’t distract yourself, the television only made you feel more anxious by talking about the virus on all the channels. Stuck between these four walls, you were starting to go crazy.

"Hey, don’t cry, honey. I know it’s hard and I miss you so much too. But you have to be strong. It’s only for a little while.”

“I feel so alone and I’m so scared.” 

“I’m scared too, but we are going to stay strong. We’re going to stay strong together.” 

“How are we going to do that?” 

“Every day at the same time we call each other on Skype. Is that ok?”

The idea of seeing him even if it was only through a screen brought you great relief. Tom always knew how to comfort you. So after that evening, you agreed on a time and every day you would see each other on the computer. You were looking forward to this moment. But as the weeks went by, Tom found it harder and harder to stick to the schedule you had agreed on. His film was taking up a lot of his time and even though he was confined to his home, he had to work from home. Sometimes he lost track of time, leaving you waiting for hours.

At first, you tried to be understanding but after a while, you couldn’t stand his lack of attention. You pointed this out to him and an argument broke out. Tom, upset and annoyed that you were arguing over so little matter, said words he didn’t really mean before he hung up on you.

He went to bed with a heavy heart. He didn’t like arguing with you and he regretted ending the conversation that way. He replayed the argument over and over again in his head trying to understand or imagining another way of going about it. He finally decided to give you the night off to calm you down.

The next day, at the time you had set, he tried to call you on Skype. But you didn’t answer. Tom looked at the screen who showed on the screen an error message and rubbed his chin pensively. Are you still angry with him? He waited a while before deciding to text you.

**_|Hello, sweetheart. Are you all right? |_ **

But then again, you didn’t answer. 

Tom tried again the next day, but you didn’t answer his messages or Skype. He tried to call you but it went to voicemail. 

After three days, Tom sensed that it wasn’t your anger that was silencing you, but that something had happened. He began to imagine the worst-case scenarios and what anguished him the most was knowing that he had no way of reaching you. You were in another country, alone, without friends, who knows what had happened to you.

Worried and anxious, he stopped working, much to the dismay of his agent. He remained cloistered at home, his phone constantly close to him. He usually walked around his house, trying to chase away the ugly thoughts that were tormenting him.

Two weeks had passed since your fight and Tom still hadn’t heard from you. He was desperate. One night he had a bit too much to drink, trying to drown his anguish and grief, he tried calling you again. When he went to voice mail and heard your sweet voice telling him to leave a message, Tom didn’t hang up, as he usually did. He decided to leave a message.

“Y/N.” He said in a deep, hoarse voice, showing that he hadn’t spoken for days. “Please answer me. I don’t know why you don’t answer my calls anymore, but I am worried. If you are still angry with me, I am truly sorry. I didn’t want to talk to you like this and you are totally right. I should have been there for you.”

He paused as he felt his throat closing and tears coming up in his eyes. 

"Please forgive me. I don’t want to lose you. Answer me, please. I just want to make sure you are okay.”

He hung up and pressed the phone to his forehead with his eyes closed. Tears came out and he continued to drink to ease his pain. Somewhere in the middle of the night he finally fell asleep on the couch. 

He was awakened from his deep sleep by a strange ringing sound. His mind still fogged by alcohol, Tom took a while to open his eyes and understand that the sound was coming from his computer. When his thoughts began to come together again, he almost threw himself on the computer to see who was calling him. He was overwhelmed with relief when he saw your name on the screen. 

“Y/N!” he exclaimed before the image had even stabilised.

“Hi, Tom.” 

The actor fell apart when he saw you. Your voice was hoarse and you seemed out of breath. Around you, he saw a machine showing an electrocardiogram. The regular beeps resounded throughout the room. He saw your pale face and the dark circles under your eyes. He noticed the hospital gown and the perfusions connected to your wrists. His breath stopped when he realized what had happened.

“Oh my God…” he murmured, shocked. “Y/N, are you all right? How long have you been in the hospital?”

“Calm down Tom. I’m getting better.” You tried to reassure him, but your words sounded as weak as you were.

“What’s happened?”

“The night we fought, I… I started having trouble breathing. I called the firemen who took me to the hospital. By the time they got there, I was unconscious. I contracted the virus and almost died. I was on a respirator for two weeks. I woke up yesterday.”

Tom felt so guilty. Guilty for provoking the argument, for not being there for you… He tried to apologize but you cut him off. 

“Tom, it’s not your fault. I thought I had been careful, but… What matters is that I am alive. And I can assure you that this experience makes you think a lot. When I woke up, I read all your messages and listened to my voicemail. I love you Tom, and I don’t want us to ruin our lives over arguments that aren’t worth it.”

“I love you so much, Y/N,” Tom whispered tears in his eyes. “I don’t want to lose you.” 

“I don’t want to lose you either. As soon as I’m healed, I’m going home. And I won’t leave you again.”

Tom nodded, completely in agreement with the idea. It took you another week to get back on your feet. The confinement was getting less and less strict so you managed to catch a flight to England. To your surprise, Tom was waiting for you when you arrived. He had a mask on but he couldn’t keep the safe distance. He took you in his arms and held you tightly. 

"You are finally home.” He whispered in the hollow of your neck.

And you were no longer planning to leave without him.


End file.
